[FBIS Translated Text] [Sardina] Commander in Chief Fidel
Castro spoke with Cuban reporters during the observance of the
45th anniversary of the founding of the PRC. He spoke, among
other issues, about the ongoing 49th session of the UN General
Assembly.

[Castro] "They will discuss regional crises such as Haiti.
There is talk of restructuring, of democratizing the United
Nations. This is a very important point. There are several
issues on the table. The four or five more important issues will
be debated."

[Sardina] Fidel pointed out that opposition to the blockade
grows by the day.

[Castro] "Within the United States, this is so today more
than ever. Before, nobody dared to oppose it; today, the most
influential media outlets do so. Hundreds of editorials against
the blockade have been written. There are a number of important
personalities, institutions, religious figures, legislators
[against the blockade]. The number of people from every sector
is growing rapidly. The need to end the blockade has been
strongly stated.

"Nobody knows when the delivery will take place. Nobody
knows
if the baby is three weeks, or two months along."

[Unidentified speaker] "That day is bound to come, hopefully
soon."

[Castro] "It has to happen."

[Unidentified speaker] "Do you believe we are on a definite
path toward this?"

[Castro] "I believe it is not an easy task. It is difficult
and complex, but we all have to work, and work with
intelligence, toward that end. However, I believe we are
unavoidably headed toward that day. This is my opinion. We
cannot be so pessimistic as to believe we have to wait for a
change of administration. There are many sectors opposing the
blockade. There might even be a new administration in office,
and this trend remains irreversible. However, we do not think
this is something to be left to the Greek calends. We believe
the times are changing, and opinions are developing. Everyone
believes this matter of the economic blockade is absurd and
crazy since the Cold War has ended. The Revolution has shown a
great wealth of patience. We have been patient for over 35
years. And now patience is more important than ever.

"Cuba has demonstrated great seriousness in the talks.
Before
this one, there was the problem of Namibia, the struggle in
Angola between Cubans, Angolans, and South Africans. These were
difficult and complex problems. We had 50,000 soldiers there and
those talks and negotiations were long before Resolution four --
What is it? I don't even remember -- [repeats] Resolution 435 on
the independence of Namibia. This provided positive results.
Namibia achieved independence. This speeded up the process of
the collapse of apartheid. All these were the results. Cuba
negotiated all that. Cuba played a role, demonstrated great
seriousness during the negotiations. Unfortunately, peace in
Angola was not achieved. That was not our fault, but the result
of aid that the United States and South Africa -- large caches
of weapons and resources -- gave to Zabimbi. The entire world
knows this. The war in Angola has been artificially sustained.
Cuba participated in the negotiations and demonstrated a
seriousness never shown by anyone. We are proud to be a serious
country. We speak with honor and honorably fulfill our
commitments. This is priceless. Those countries that do not
respect themselves are in turn not respected by anyone else.
Nobody is serious with countries that do not take themselves
seriously. The style and history of the Revolution gives it
tremendous authority to negotiate."

[Sardina] Regarding the complex immigration problem, Fidel
pointed out that Cuba has strictly fulfilled its part.

[Castro] "The solution to this problem is hard, complex. We
still have to see how it is to be fulfilled. The number of visas
granted by the Americans to date have been very few. They have
stated that they are training the personnel, that they will soon
send the necessary personnel, that they need more room. We will
see. Perhaps by October there will be an increase in the number
of visas. So far, it has been more or less as usual. We have
strictly fulfilled our responsibilities in a satisfactory
manner. There has been no violence, use of force -- not a single
blow, nothing. This shows the moral authority of the Revolution,
its influence, its capacity to confront problems that appear
very difficult. The U.S. Government thought it was very
difficult to stop the exodus. Of course, the fact that an accord
was reached and a minimum of 20,000 visas were accorded, that
alone made many people rethink emigration plans. Now, they have
requested the paperwork and can join the lists to leave. A
number of factors contributed to this, but this has also
demonstrated the authority and respect the Revolution receives.
Even adversaries agree."
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